Cowell, 53, was responding to criticism of J-Lo’s appearance on Tuesday’s semi-final, which saw her perform wearing a leather leotard and thigh-high boots and triggered more than 100 complaints to regulator Ofcom.

Cowell admitted the footage could have appeared shocking to viewers but insisted it wasn’t his intention to be ‘deliberately sleazy’.

He said: ‘I think the cameraman got a bit carried away. When I was watching it in the studio, I wasn’t aware of some of the close-ups. It’s kind of worse in close-up.

'We are aware it is a family show. We never set out to deliberately cause offence.’

The broadcasting regulator is now considering whether to investigate the programme, after receiving dozens of complaints.

Thousands of viewers took to Twitter to express their outrage, with some saying the singer looked like a ‘prostitute’.

Even the show’s co-host Anthony McPartlin appeared taken aback, glancing at her outfit after the performance and raising his eyebrows.

Only judge Amanda Holden seemed to be a fan, declaring: ‘JLo’s a***. I just wanted to bite it. It was fabulous’.

Miss Lopez’s act was shown after the 9pm watershed during the Britain’s Got Talent results show on Tuesday. But lobby group Mediawatch UK said the programme had deliberately targeted younger viewers by screening the episode during the half-term holiday.

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‘And given the main
show is incredibly popular with children, lots of them will have wanted
to stay up a bit later to find out who won. It was totally
inappropriate to show something like this, given their audience. It
seems as if they never learn.’

Cowell’s comments came after a week of controversy for BGT.

On Thursday, Sir Bruce Forsyth called on Cowell to stop auditioning children, claiming it was unfair to place youngsters under the pressure of performing on live television.

Even the show's co-host Anthony McPartlin looked shocked by the singer's outfit

Last night, Cowell branded the comments ‘ridiculous’ and accused the star – who launched his own career at the London Palladium aged 14 – of double standards.

‘If Bruce Forsyth was sitting in front of me now, I’d ask him how old was he at his first audition? Maybe we’ll try and find some footage. The trouble is I don’t think there were cameras in those days,’ he said.

‘I’m used to criticism, but I always seem to get criticism from people who’ve made their career, made their money, and then start saying shows like ours shouldn’t exist. It’s kind of like, “Well I’ve made it, but other people can’t.” It’s completely hypocritical. That’s what frustrates me.’

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Cowell blames J-Lo's risqué performance on BGT on a cameraman for getting 'carried away with his close-ups'